Chapter Text
There was something about loving someone that changed a person, that made them do things they normally wouldn’t. Erik found himself in that position more so than ever nowadays. He had never considered himself easy to love, had never thought that there would be a chance for him to experience something so pure - something that was so tender in nature. Ever since he was a child, he had only ever known the harsh realities of this world. He had only ever known that humanity was cold, unloving, and that to survive in this world, one would need to be rough around the edges. One would need to guard their heart.
But it had been so easy for Charles Xavier to worm his way into his life. For the first time ever, he had truly felt seen by another. And how uncomfortable it was in the beginning, having his very soul opened and splayed out - read like a book, thumbed through with such care. Care. Despite who he was, despite what he had been through. He had been shown gentleness, had been shown compassion. How could he have not fallen so terribly hard for such a thing? How could he ignore the way it had made his stomach twist, his heart uneasy - in the most wonderful of ways.
Still, he had never imagined he would have found himself here. Trying to strive to be a better man for the sake of Charles. Trying to be the man that he, and their child deserved. As much as he wanted to argue and push back against Humanity - there were more important things that mattered now. Things were much more delicate. He could not make himself out to be a villain, could not bring himself to go on a revenge induced crusade in the name of Mutant kind. Not when he had a chance at a better life here - a chance at finally being happy, a chance at a life that was relatively normal.
He couldn’t put his child through the pain of losing a parent. He knew full well what that was like - how it was a hole that still gaped in his chest to this day. No - he would never put his child, he would never put Charles through that. Yet, it was almost laughable, the way in which his edges had softened, in which his temper had, for the most part, eased up. Or at least, he would like to have thought that it had.
He could still remember the day that he found out.
Charles had a certain nervousness about him, one that may have been difficult to read for anyone but Erik. But he knew that man well, the two of them having spent countless hours together chattering away, playing chess, or simply just existing in one another’s presence. What kind of partner would he be if he couldn’t notice these things? And while emotions had never been his strong suit, he would still try to make an effort.
“Charles.” His tone was calm as he adjusted himself in his seat, having listened to the other man ramble on for who knows how long about how he was concerned that he was perhaps pushing the others a bit too far in their training. But he could tell that there was something else underlying that, that he wouldn’t be this nervous about it. “Would you care to tell me what else is going on?”
It was a simple request, paired with a slight quirk of his brow. Blue-grey eyes scanning over his beloved’s face in an attempt to try and get a read on him. And there it was, a flash for a brief moment in baby blues, that he had been right. There was something else.
“Well…” Charles breathed out, trying to keep his emotions in check. Usually he was good at keeping a composed demeanor. But this was something he had never experienced before. And it was such a sensitive subject to navigate. Fingertips tapped against his thigh in thought, trying to figure out how exactly to approach this. The two of them had only been officially together for a handful of months at most, after all.
But there was nothing else that it could be. The missed cycle, the body aches, the swells of nausea that had started to come over him throughout the day. Lips pressed together in thought as he tried to form words. His gaze flicking down to his half empty cup of Earl Grey. Something he loved, yet couldn’t find himself able to finish nowadays - the very idea of drinking more making him queasy. He could not meet Erik’s eyes, a breath was taken in to calm himself. It was perhaps better to simply just say it outright, wasn’t it? Rather than dancing around or trying to find some subtle way to word it.
“I have been dealing with feeling rather ill as of late…” He began slowly, “and given the circumstances, the symptoms..” He was stalling, nerves swelling up within him.
Erik leaned forward slightly in his seat, notating the concern on his face, as if he was uncertain about telling him. And after a moment, he would reach out, gently taking Charles’ hand in his own. A silent little encouragement to continue with the way he gave a squeeze to that hand he held now.
The feeling of that hand taking his own seemed to soothe him, even if only a little bit. It would be fine. Charles pulled his gaze up, shifting them to meet the other man’s eyes. “Erik.” he was trying to keep his voice still, but there was a slight twinge to it still, “I’m pregnant.”
The words were ones that, truthfully, were the last thing Erik had expected. The shock hit him first, and he blinked in surprise, brows furrowing. “You’re…?” He couldn’t find the words, for the first time in so long, he found himself utterly at a loss. But that feeling was quickly washed over by another, more intense emotion - the swells of joy that burst forth within his chest were hard to choke down. How could he? He had just been told that something he had always dreamed of, the chance at having an actual family that he had never had, was going to come true. It was finally a possibility.
He couldn’t find the words to express himself. Instead he simply moved from his seat, shifting to kneel on the ground before his beloved. Arms shifting to wrap around his waist and press himself close. Face burying into his stomach. He was still very early, there was no bump, but knowing that his child was in there… It was such an overwhelming feeling.
For a man who was not known to be openly emotional like this, Charles couldn’t help the smile that fell upon his lips seeing his partner behave in such a manner. Slowly he moved to card fingers through his hair. Honestly, he wasn’t sure how he would react, but this? This adoration and love, silent affection? It was incredibly heartwarming, incredibly endearing. “Excited, darling?” He couldn’t help but laugh gently when he felt the nod of the other man, pressed up against his stomach.
Erik shifted ever so slightly, looking up at Charles. “More than you could ever know.” Was all he managed to let out. But in those eyes of his, so many emotions swam - pure adoration, happiness, excitement. It was the happiest that he had looked since the two of them had come to the decision that they would try this whole relationship thing.
That had been months ago. The memory was still so vivid in Erik’s mind even to this day. It brought a smile to his lips as he worked on his current project, meant to be a surprise for Charles. Knowing that they were nearing the due date, and with his bump being rather prominent, he didn’t want to make the poor man work too hard. So, he had taken it upon himself to work on the nursery for their sweet child. Granted, it had taken weeks to get everything set up, between the time spent building furniture, painting, and trying to keep it a secret, it was proving to be a difficult task.
A part of him wondered if perhaps he should get his partner’s input, if perhaps he shouldn’t have done this himself. But if he could take one thing off of Charles’ plate, then he would happily do so. Even if it meant hours upon hours spent working in his free time on making sure it was perfect. Because that was what both his beloved, and their child deserved, as sappy as it made him seem. If he were to be entirely honest, he was a softie at heart when it came to those he cared for, even if he would never voice it.
Light sage green paint had smudged, staining the denim of his jeans, but as he took a step back and observed the room, it looked as though everything was ready. The colors were gentle and soft, whites, greys, and hints of that pretty green. Neutrals were what he decided to go with, as they had not yet found out whether they were having a boy or a girl. That was something they decided they wanted to keep a secret and would reveal in a small, intimate setting with those that they were close to.
A breath of relief escaped him, and he would move to put up that paint he had been using on the walls before anything else. Now just came the… slightly nerve wracking part of revealing what he had been working on. He knew Charles was sweet though, and would likely appreciate it even if it wasn’t exactly as he had envisioned. That was something that he loved about that man, that he had a knack for seeing the attempt and effort put into things. That he was always so kind towards him.
Once he had cleaned up just a bit and done a last look over, he decided to go find Charles. A knock was given to his office door, as he stepped in. “Darling.” The sweet pet name came so gently off his lips, something reserved only for the object of his affection. Gaze settled on Charles, seated at his desk, working on some paperwork.
Those pretty baby blues would look up towards Erik as he stepped into the office. “Yes, Erik?” He greeted with a smile on his lips. Slowly he settled down the pen he was holding, and turning his full attention to the other man.
Erik made his way over to the desk, stepping over towards the side he was on. “There’s something I would like to show you.” His gaze lingered over Charles, taking in the way his skin seemed to glow the further he got into his pregnancy.
He had always believed him to be the most beautiful person he had ever met, even more so now. The way his eyes were much brighter, once subtle freckles now seemingly more prominent, hair more silky than ever. Was this a side effect of being pregnant? He wondered. Regardless, there was nothing that could lessen the absolute admiration he felt in his heart when gazing at him.
A curious brow raised at that, and Charles tilted his head ever so slightly in response. “Do you now?” He asked, amusement in his tone. Erik had been particularly doting and loving the further he got into his pregnancy, so he was curious to see what this would be now. The last time he had mentioned a surprise, it had been a neatly organized bouquet of flowers.
He moved to stand at that, taking the hand offered by his partner to help stabilize him. As he stood, it was evident just how pregnant he actually was, round belly nearly touching the desk now that he was on his feet. A soft breath left him as he laced his fingers with Erik's, other hand resting comfortably atop that bump of his. “Lead the way, love.” The sweet name of affection rolled so easily off his tongue, as if it were a second nature to him.
It was a bit slow, the two of them walking from his office to the nursery, simply for the fact that his strides had become more of a half waddle in these later months. Nobody could have ever really prepared him for how big his stomach would get, or for the stress it put on his body. His back constantly ached, his feet were always sore, and it felt like he could never fully catch his breath when he did a bit too much walking or too much exercise. He had started to take things slowly because of it, not that it was necessarily a bad thing - it certainly stopped him from overworking himself.
But when they did arrive, he could practically sense the excitement radiating off of Erik. That familiar glimmer in his gaze that he only ever did get around Charles. It was sweet, really. The door was opened for him, and he gave a small smile to Erik before being led into the room. And oh… he couldn’t help the way his gaze lit up as it scanned around the room. There was a swell of warmth in his chest at the sight. The crib was put together, a mobile over it… a rocker, a bookshelf, toybox…even stuffed animals. It was everything they would need, and he had done this all by himself? Charles didn’t realize it, but he was squeezing Erik’s hand awfully tight, overwhelmed in the moment. Only when he heard Erik speak up did he pull himself back to the moment.
“Do you like it?” Erik had asked, carefully watching Charles for his reaction to everything. He had been a bit unsure on the color scheme and placement of things, and honestly he was more than willing to-
“I love it.” The answer came quietly, a small little quiver of a thing. It was clear from tone alone that he was trying to hold back the flood of emotions, that he was trying not to burst into tears from such a simple thing. But the gesture was terribly sweet, the time and effort put into doing something like this.
Without another word, and with a bit of awkwardness from the baby bump, Charles shifted to wrap his arms around Erik, leaning forward to press his face against him. The affectionate gesture met in return with arms pressing around him, a soft kiss being pressed against his temple. It wouldn’t be long before their little darling would be here, but now they were fully prepared for it.